Type 14c: Ornate one-piece double-sided

Type 14c is used to encompass all highly ornate variants of Type 14, including the so-called 'liturgical combs'. The term 'Type 14c' is preferred here, as it carries no functional assumptions. The type was produced in small numbers over an extended time period from the later first millennium, but with a zenith around the 12th century. It is characterised by some diversity in form and ornament, but the type's defining characteristic is the use of highly accomplished decoration (whether incised, plastic, or openwork; figural, vegetal, or geometric). Further classification is possible on art historical grounds, but no such analysis is undertaken here. Many Type 14c combs are of insecure or imprecise provenance, and no detailed British distribution has been established.